Unlikely
by MacavityManiac
Summary: Coricopat is captured by Macavity's henchcats. He is beaten within an inch of his life, and is saved each time by an unlikely cat. Rated T for violence. Please review!
1. Chapter 1

**A.N. I HAVE REAPPEARED! I have been very busy costuming and I haven't had much time to write, but a few days ago I was really bored in class and I wrote the first chapter of this. So…yeah. **

**Enjoy! R&R!**

Coricopat hissed as the henchcats grasped his wrists, their claws digging into his skin. This only made the grasp on his wrists tighten painfully. He struggled, but to no avail. All he could do was reluctantly be dragged closer and closer to Macavity's headquarters.

The large, dark building loomed high above them, casting an intimidating shadow. Coricopat swallowed nervously. He still didn't have the faintest idea why the henchcats had taken him. They had appeared out of nowhere, grabbing him off his perch on the old car. _And now_ he thought, _I'm probably going to die. Just lovely. _He was shaken out of his thoughts when he was thrown to the floor. The cold, hard stone collided painfully with his bones, making a burning pain shoot through his left paw.

Shakily, he raised his head, his green eyes reluctantly meeting the dark, threatening eyes of Macavity. The wild-looking ginger Tom smirked sadistically, his gaze revealing his amusement at the dark calico's pain.

"Ahh, Coricopat," he chuckled darkly. "So nice of you to drop by."

"What do you want Macavity?" Coricopat hissed, narrowing his eyes.

The ginger Tom ascended from his perch, strutting down to the floor.

"Well, your little Tribe _really_ pissed me off at the Ball. You weren't exactly that welcoming towards me and my henchcats. Rude, very rude. So I devised a plan. The Jellicles would do anything to get one of their own back from me. Especially one of their precious psychic cats."

On the word psychic, he slammed his foot into Coricopat's ribs. There was a loud 'crack' and Coricopat whimpered, feeling some bone snap. Macavity laughed a loud, cold laugh, eyes glinting manically.

"The Jellicles will panic. They will demand that I return you, bombard me with pointless threats, and I will suggest a trade."

He leaned down, his face inches from Coricopat's.

"You…for Demeter."

"You sick freak!" Coricopat yelled, clawing at the Tom. "You can't just leave her alone, can you?"

Macavity flinched backwards when Coricopat's claws came in contact with his nose. He responded by kicking Coricopat in the jaw. Another loud 'crack' rang through the room. Macavity turned on his heels, beginning to walk away.

"Jasper, Silas," he called behind him. "Do what you wish. Just leave him alive."

A large brown tabby and a brown and white harlequin stepped forward. The tabby spoke.

"Will 'barely alive' work, boss?"

Macavity nodded curtly.

"Quite well, in fact."

The two Toms smirked, closing in on Coricopat as Macavity exited the room. The harlequin made the first move, pulling him off the ground, his fist colliding with the dark calico's nose. Coricopat felt blood run down his face as he was passed to the tabby, who tamed his knee into Cori's stomach, knocking the wind out of the smaller Tom. He was dropped to the floor, where feet slammed his sides and head. Pain radiated from the dark calico, blood sluggishly running from the multiple injuries.

Through his swollen eyes, Coricopat saw the blurry gray figure of a cat dash forward from the small crowd.

"Enough," the blurry figure yelled. It may have said something else, but Coricopat's ears were so battered, he wouldn't have been able to tell. "Enough of this. Anymore, and he'll be dead. You heard the boss: he needs this cat alive. Now go! Everyone to training! Now!"

Coricopat closed his eyes slowly. He felt a gentle pair of paws lift him so he was leaning on someone's shoulder, his arm around their neck. Slowly, they began to move, Coricopat's feet dragging on the ground.

"Stupid damn Toms," the cat muttered angrily.

That was the last thing Coricopat heard before he drifted into unconsciousness.


	2. Chapter 2

**A.N. Hello once again! I was so happy that I got two whole reviews! Seriously people…I need reviews to fuel my demented brain. Thanks to HumanGuineaPig (one of the most awesome people ever, by the way!) and V137 for reviewing this fic!**

**Anywho, no. I will not tell you who saved Coricopat. So there.**

**Enjoy! R&R!**

The first feeling that Coricopat could consciously sense was pain. Pure, burning pain. Groggily, he blinked his eyes, beginning to view blurry shapes. He blinked once more, and things began to clear. He was in a cell, lying on a cold stone floor. A small pile of straw was stuffed under his head, the fibrous material poking his head uncomfortably. He attempted to sit up, only to have an overwhelming dizzy feeling overcome him. He let his head fall back onto the straw tiredly. He tried to adjust one leg, expecting to be brought back down by pain, but to his surprise, he was able to move it. He lifted his head carefully, catching a glimpse of a thick white bandage covering his knee. Another was wrapped around his torso, and yet another around his left paw.

Why on earth would Macavity let someone doctor him? He had been beaten mercilessly. Wasn't that what Macavity wanted. He groaned and rubbed his head. Something drifted down from his paw, landing on his cheek. Curiously, he plucked it from his face with two claws.

It was a short blue-gray hair. The base of it seemed darker in color, closer to an actual gray. Carefully, he sniffed it. It smelled fragrant, like some sort of flower, but with the sharp, rusty undertone of blood. He set it on the stone, allowing his head to fall back to the straw once more.

"Oi! You, Cori-whatever."

Against his will, Coricopat opened his eyes once more, his gaze falling on a black and gray Tom outside the bars of the cell. The Tom glared.

"Yeah you. Get up. The boss wants us to make use of you while you're here."

Shakily, Coricopat tried to push himself to stand, only to flop back down. The Tom snarled impatiently. He threw the cell door open, yanking the smaller Tom off of the floor. Coricopat whimpered from the pain in his arm. He was reluctantly dragged through corridor after corridor.

"Don't injure 'im no more," the patched Tom grumbled to himself. "We needs ta use 'im to our advantage, 'e says. Come on! Stop draggin' yer feet!"

Coricopat obeyed quietly. Soon, they entered a large clearing. Dozens of cats were scattered about; some kittens were mock fighting, and most of the older cats seemed engaged in a training session. One of the kittens, a little blue-gray Queen, bounded over. Her green eyes stared inquisitively at Coricopat, seeming to take in every detail of him.

"Hi," she chirped. "I'm Cyri. What's your name?"

Coricopat offered a gentle smile for the kitten.

"My name is Coricopat."

Cyri grinned happily.

"Nice to meet you Co-"

Before she could finish, a tall, matronly brown Queen grabbed her.

"Cyri! Don't go near that cat! He's one of the Jellicles!"

She began herding the kitten away. Cyri turned to look over her shoulder back at Coricopat.

"But Miss Kora-"

Coricopat sighed, returning his gaze to the ground. Suddenly, the large Tom pushed him into the dirt.

"Well, what have we got here?"

Coricopat looked up slowly, his eyes landing on a tall Queen, whose feet were planted firmly just a few inches away from his face. She looked down at him, a skeptical look in her green eyes. The large Tom chuckled darkly.

"This, my dear Vangie, is the boss' new Jellicle prisoner."

Coricopat was kicked in the ribs.

"You," the Tom barked. "Give the lady your name."

Coricopat closed his eyes, giving his brain a moment to absorb the pain.

"Coricopat."

The Queen nodded curtly, narrowing her eyes a bit. Her gaze flickered to the gray and black Tom.

"Bruno, what the hell am I supposed to do with this?"

The Tom shrugged.

"Boss says we gotta use an extra cat to our advantage. He wants you to train 'im ta fight for us."


	3. Chapter 3

**A.N. And I'm back so soon! I wanted to give a shout out to another of my fabulous reviewers whose review I didn't see until I had already posted Chapter 2. Thank you to BlueSky509 for reviewing!**

**I do know that a lot of people don't capitalize Tom and Queen, but somewhere I just picked it up. I don't know how, but I did.**

**Anywho, again, you will not find out who saved Coricopat. I'll probably reveal it around chapter 6 or 7. Hopefully, you will have guessed it by then.**

**And thanks to BlueSky509 for suggesting I add some henchcat banter! I had some planned for a few of the later chapters, but I have added a little more.**

**In other words, I own all cats in Macavity's Empire except Griddlebone, if I end up putting her in this story. But Silas, Bruno, Jasper, Evangeline, Cyri, Kora, and everyone else belongs to me!**

**Enjoy! R&R!**

Coricopat's jaw nearly dropped to the ground. Macavity was going to train him to fight as a henchcat? And he thought Coricopat would just…go along with it? He was possibly even more insane then the Jellicles had originally thought.

"I am not-"

His protest was cut off by another sharp kick, this time to his knee. He winced inwardly, taking the pain. But in his mind, he was leaping to his feet, protesting violently. He was slashing at every cat near him, claws cutting into them. He was-

"Excuse me? Train a Jellicle? They are permanently brain-washed from birth. They can't fight!"

Coricopat raised his head to protest against the Queen, but, without even looking at him, the Queen raised one finger threateningly.

"You say a single word against me at this point, and you will never have kits."

Coricopat immediately closed his mouth, eyes widening. Bruno, the black and gray Tom, folded his arms in an annoyed fashion.

"I'm just tellin' you what the boss said. Not my orders, but you'd best attempt to follow them before you go complainin' to 'im."

The Queen glared at Bruno for a moment before slapping him across the face. Her eyes narrowed even more, almost thin green slits.

"Fine," she growled. "I will **attempt** to train this…I'll respect you and call you a Tom. But if I can't get him to fight, Mac is gonna hear some serious shit from me."

Bruno smirked and shrugged, turning to leave.

"Whatever you say, Vangie."

At this point, Coricopat had let his face flop straight into the dirt. The Queen gave his shoulder a slight nudge with her foot.

"Up. Now."

Reluctantly, Coricopat heaved himself to his feet. He gazed miserably at the Queen, a fraction of the hope gone from his eyes. The Queen began to pace in a circle around him, looking him up and down. She dug one of her back claws into the tip of his tail. Coricopat hissed, turning on the Queen. She smirked.

"Now that I have you awake, how about I see how terrible your Jellicle fighting skills are?"

She crouched low into a fighting stance. Coricopat mimicked her stance, green eyes narrowing at the Queen. There were a few seconds of silence and stillness before the Queen made the first move, jabbing at his stomach with her claws out. Coricopat leaned backwards, narrowly avoiding the blow. Coricopat leaned backwards, narrowly avoiding the blow. This seemed to anger the Queen. She had probably expected him to fail immediately. She hissed, sweeping one leg underneath his feet, causing the dark calico to fall, hitting the ground hard. He growled, kicking out one back leg. His foot hit the Queen in the stomach, knocking the breath out of her and causing her to stagger back a few feet. Letting out a vicious snarl, the Queen tackled him. The two cats became a tangled, rolling mess of fur and claws, yowling and scratching at each other.

A tortoiseshell Tom quickly caught sight of them. He rushed over, an almost identical tortoiseshell Queen following close behind. They each grabbed one cat, yanking the fighting pair apart. The Tom ended up holding the Queen around the waist, stumbling as she still kicked and scratched at the air. The tortoiseshell Queen was struggling to hold Coricopat back, one paw holding his tail and one arm around his neck in a choke hold.

"Break it up you two!" the Queen yelled, tightening her grasp on Coricopat.

"Evangeline, for EC's sake, stop kicking! You're gonna make me fall!" the Tom yelled, equally tightening his grip on the Queen.

He stopped his yelling at the Queen to stare at the tortoiseshell Queen. She had released Coricopat's tail and was now fiddling with his headfur. Coricopat was staring nervously at her out of the corner of his eye.

"Bri, what the hell are you doing?" the Tom asked impatiently.

The Queen, now known as Bri, smiled distractedly, still playing with the dark calico's fur.

"His fur is pretty…he's kinda cute."

The Tom groaned, banging his head against the Queen's back. She narrowed her eyes, looking like she would rip the Tom apart.

"Dear EC, Bri!Leave the poor Tom alone!"

"But Bryyyyyyn," Bri protested. "He's so soft, and shiny! And he smells like marigold!"

"Bri just let go of him! You're acting stupid!"

Bri attached herself to Coricopat, winding her legs around his torso.

"No. You're stupid."

The Tom sighed realizing it was pointless. He leaned forward over the Queen's shoulder, now addressing Coricopat

"I'm sorry, mate. She…well she's just…Bri. Not much more I can say. Humor her-"

"Bryn," the Queen interrupted through gritted teeth. "Let. Go. Of. Me. Now."

The tortoiseshell Tom, now also known as Bryn, slowly released his grip on the Queen. Her fur immediately fluffed up to twice its size. Her arms were folded and if looks could kill, every cat within ten miles would be mutilated and dead. Bri giggled, resting her chin on Coricopat's shoulder.

"Wow Vangie, you look like a dandelion…"

The Queen began smoothing down her fur.

"You two: get to training with Tai. Now."

Bryn began to bound away obediently. He stopped when he realized that Bri wasn't behind him. He stopped, sighed, and turned on his heels, marching back towards the three cats. He pried Bri from Coricopat's back, throwing the smaller Queen over his shoulder and walking away. Coricopat just stared after them, his brain trying to make sense of what had just happened. The Queen sighed, closing her eyes.

"This is all that you need to know: my name is Evangeline. I'm the head fighter here. Tomorrow morning, Bruno will bring you back here and you are going to train with me. That is the end of it. If you protest, I swear to EC that I will kill you. Understand?"


	4. Chapter 4

**A.N. CHAPTER 4! OMG OMG OMG! AND I ALREADY HAVE 12 REVIEWS ! This makes me incredibly happy, if you couldn't tell… **

**But, anywho, this is Chapter 4, farther then I've gotten with anything other than Ask the Cats so let's give a round of virtual applause for that!**

**Enjoy! R&R!**

_Cori? Cori can you hear me?_

Coricopat shot upright, never more happy to hear the voice in his head.

**Tanto!**

_Cori!_ Came the relieved reply. _Thank EC! Are you alright? I can feel that you're in pain…_

**I'm okay. A little scratched up, but I'm okay.**

_Cori, I swear, Munkustrap is getting a group to come get you. Demeter even volunteered…_

**No!** Coricopat screamed mentally. **He has a plan! Don't let Demeter go!**

"Hey look, it's the Jellicle."

Coricopat looked up from the cell floor to see a small group of brutish looking Toms smirking at him. He swallowed nervously, recognizing two of the Toms as Jasper and Silas.

_Cori? Cori are you still there?_

**T-Tanto, I have to go. Tell Munku and the group to be very careful.**

_Cori? Something's wrong! I can sense it! What's happening? Cori? C-_

Coricopat closed his eyes, blocking his sister from his mind. He heard the cell door creak open and his heart doubled its beating. A paw grabbed his scruff, dragging him up from the floor. As much as he wanted to open his eyes and fight back, he head to keep the mental block going so that Tantomile wouldn't hear this. A fist slammed into his stomach, abruptly knocking the air out of the smaller Tom. Before he could breathe again, the paw released his scruff and immediately one foot tripped him while another rammed into his chest, knocking him a few feet through the air. His back hit the wall with a crunching noise, sending a wave of pain through Coricopat's body. He slid down the wall slowly, unable to move. Another foot slammed into his face, making his nose crack. There was suddenly an overwhelming salty smell filling Coricopat's nose, and dripping into his mouth. The salty, rusty taste spread through his mouth, causing the smaller Tom to gag.

He suddenly heard the sound of running footsteps.

"What the hell are you doing?"

The sound of a paw striking skin came next, several times in fact. A few hisses followed. One of the Toms muttered something as more footsteps sounded.

"I don't give a damn, Silas," came the angry reply. "Your job is NOT to kill this Tom. Especially not when you have him cornered in his own cell. Now go."

There were a few seconds of silence before Coricopat felt a pair of arms wrap around him. One supported his back while another pulled his arm around a pair of shoulders.

"Can you get up?"

The voice sounded distorted and muffled, but Coricopat nodded hesitantly.

"Alright then. On three. One, two, three."

Coricopat put all of his effort into making his legs move while the other cat pulled him upwards. A small whimper accidentally escaped Coricopat's mouth. The other cat sighed.

"Stupid, stupid damn Toms."

Coricopat whimpered again when his ankle hit a rock. He heard a sharp intake of breath in his ear. Something in Coricopat relaxed. The fact that this cat, whoever it was, cared about whether he lived or died made him feel a little more…peaceful.


	5. Chapter 5

**A.N. I love you all! Thanks so much to all of you, my lovely reviewers! But, if you could, please tell all of your friends about this story! I'd really like to try and get at least 50 reviews by Chapter 7! Get the word out!**

**I hate to say this, but you will not find out who the mysterious henchcat is. Until chapter…..meh I won't tell you. I'm evil like that.**

**Enjoy! R&R!**

"Oh dear EC, you have got to be kidding me!"

Coricopat groaned, slowly blinking his green eyes. He squinted, the blurry bars of his cell coming into view. Outside the metal poles, an incredibly pissed off Evangeline was standing with Bruno. She glared at him, green eyes locking angrily with green eyes.

"Bruno, what the hell happened to him?"

Coricopat narrowed his eyes at the Queen. She was still glaring, but her eyes seemed to flicker nervously back and forth between him and the harlequin Tom. He just continued blinking, hoping she wouldn't notice his moment of staring. Bruno frowned.

"Hmmm I wonder…oh wait, let me guess: Silas, Jasper, Alec and their buddies."

Evangeline snarled viciously.

"I swear, none of those Toms have a brain…alright, maybe they have one brain that they share, but none of them ever use it!"

Coricopat looked down at his stomach, which had persistently burned throughout this whole exchange. Again, his entire torso was wrapped in white bandages.

"You're nose is broken too."

The dark calico Tom looked up at the sound of the unfamiliar voice. A petite gray tabby Queen now stood next to Bruno. Her amber eyes stared intelligently back at him. She gave him a small smile.

"So you're finally awake. I'm Pippa, the medic."

Coricopat pointed excitedly at her, his heart beginning to beat faster and faster. Maybe, just maybe…

"So it was you!"

Pippa jumped behind Bruno timidly. She began quaking and nervously peaked around the taller Tom's arm.

"W-what did I do?"

Coricopat just kept pointing. It had to be her. Gray fur, medic…

"I know it was you!"

Bruno growled, glaring and crouching protectively in front of the smaller Queen.

"You're scaring my sister. You'd better shut up, Jellicle…"

Evangeline put one arm around the shivering Pippa. She too glared at Coricopat.

"Shut up or spit it out…"

Coricopat cleared his throat, trying to calm down.

"Every time I've been beaten here, I swear, there's been some cat that helped me. And I found a gray hair. I may be crazy…"

"You are."

Coricopat looked up slowly. All three cats were glaring at him. Pippa stepped out from behind her brother and Evangeline, lowering her eyes.

"I have never seen you before a few hours ago. You were brought to me by…errr…another cat. "

Coricopat squinted at her. But she fit what he had imagined…

"A-are you sure? Could you come near the bars? Just for a second…"

Pippa looked at him warily, but stepped closer to the metal poles. Coricopat crawled closer and pulled himself up using the bars. He leaned in to smell Pippa's headfur…she was right. Her gray striped headfur didn't have the same sweet and slightly rusty smell as the blue-gray hair had. It smelled like herbs. He backed away sheepishly.

"I-I apologize. I was just so sure…"

"Yeah," Bruno growled. "Well you were wrong. Don't you **ever** bother my sister again."

Coricopat nodded quietly. Evangeline cleared her throat.

"Well, after that ridiculous exchange, you are still coming and training."

Pippa lifted her head and opened her mouth to protest. Evangeline glared out of the corner of her eye.

"Pippa, I don't care if he's injured. A real Tom would work through the pain, and he will."

The gray tabby lowered her head again. She gave Bruno a quick nuzzle.

"I have to go. Nena has a thrown stuck in her paw."

The black and gray harlequin nodded, flashing a quick smile for his sister as she disappeared down the corridor. Evangeline opened the cell door.

"Just get up, you weak excuse for a Tom."

Coricopat snarled but stood up shakily. He stared at Evangeline, who rolled her eyes.

"I'm not getting any younger here. Come on let's go!"

Coricopat followed her reluctantly. He had been so sure, so unbelievably positive. She was gray, sweet, and a medic. But the smell was all wrong. He quickened his pace, getting closer to Evangeline, as they passed through a small crowd of cats. There were Queens, a few Toms, and even kits. Suddenly, he caught a whiff of a familiar smell: sweet like a flower, but with the rusty tang of blood. That cat was in this crowd! And nearby too! He looked around, trying to be inconspicuous. There was a calico Queen, a yellow tabby, a tuxedo, a Siamese Tom, a cream tabby Tom and so many more. So many cats…He looked around hopelessly. There were almost too many cats for him to even take in. How was he going to find that one, kind-hearted cat?


	6. Chapter 6

**A.N. Chapter 6! I want to thank all of you beautiful reviewers for bothering to read this story!**

**I also want to thank people for liking Evangeline. She is a brand new OC that I thought up one day and I really loved the idea of this really strong, hot-headed and sarcastic female character, and it makes me so happy that other people like her too. So thank you.**

**By the way, check out my new blog The Blog of a Part-Time Student and a Full-Time CATS Fan at .! Comment or follow me please!**

**Enjoy! R&R!**

"Hello? Earth to Jellicle!"

Coricopat blinked, snapping out of his thoughts. He had started thinking about Tantomile and Mungojerrie…and maybe he had started thinking about Rumpleteazer…but he had frozen in place, right where he had been looking around at all of the cats. Evangeline was standing a few feet ahead of him, paws on her hips, tapping one foot impatiently. She raised one black eyebrow.

"Are you still alive? Seriously, this is a waste of my time."

Coricopat snarled quietly, beginning to stalk towards her.

_Cori! EC I'm so glad I found you! Why the hell did you block me?_

**Tanto, believe me, I did it for your own good. I don't think now is a good time…**

_Coricopat, I swear, if you block me again, I will tell Rumpleteazer that you fancy her!_

Before he could respond, a foot was stuck in front of his feet. Noticing it too late, Coricopat felt himself falling to the ground. He was a few inches away, seeming to fall in slow motion, when someone caught him. He looked up slowly, hoping it wasn't who he thought it was.

"Come on. Just get back up."

The softer, even…_**gentle**_ tone caught the dark calico off-guard. He obeyed, pushing himself to his feet, staring, slightly dumbstruck at Evangeline. There was the smallest hint of a pitying smile playing at the corner of her lips, her green eyes a little softer. She suddenly blinked, brushing herself off and clearing her throat. The angry fire seemed to flash back into her eyes.

"Silas! Uncalled for! Twenty pushups! Now!"

Coricopat turned around to see the brown and white harlequin Tom grumbling as he dropped to the ground, starting to do pushups. He shot a withering look at the calico Tom. Coricopat looked away, feeling the Tom's eyes burning in the back of his head. Evangeline narrowed her eyes.

"Well? Come on! We've already wasted too much time!"

She stalked towards the clearing, tail swishing angrily. Coricopat followed mutely, pondering what had just occurred. Things here just kept getting stranger…Evangeline suddenly whirled around, crouching into a fighting stance. She gestured to her legs.

"Copy me."

Slowly, Coricopat crouched down, trying to mimic her. Evangeline rolled her eyes, standing up and stepping towards him.

"Your stance is atrocious. Bend your knees more."

She briskly wacked the back of his knees, smirking with satisfaction when they collapsed more outwards.

"Good. Curve your back."

She wacked his stomach, making it shrink inwards. She stepped back t where she had been, returning to her crouching position. She gestured towards herself with her paws.

"Now, try to hit me."

The dark calico narrowed his eyes. After a moment, he lunged forward, taking a swipe at Evangeline's face. She easily bent backwards, avoiding the blow. She smirked.

"THAT is the best you can do? Try again, Jellicle."

Coricopat hissed angrily. He kicked out one foot, hitting Evangeline square in the stomach. She stumbled back a few feet, breathing in deeply. She lifted her head, smirking.

"Good. Again."

Coricopat darted forward, aiming dozens of blows at the Queen; some missing, some hitting their desired target. He growled, putting all of his focus on the confident Queen. A kick to the stomach, a missed blow towards her face. He swept one leg beneath her feet, sending her crashing onto the dirt. The dark calico crouched, narrowing his eyes. In a split second, he leapt forward, planning to knock her back down, as she had started to sit up. But before he had gotten a few inches, his foot hit a rock, causing him to fall face down…landing right on top of Evangeline. Luckily, he threw out his paws, stopping his fall about an inch above the startled Queen. He caught his breath, feeling his face grow slightly warm as his eyes locked with hers. To his great surprise, Evangeline's cheeks were steadily growing more and more flushed. Her mouth opened and closed wordlessly, a few stammering sounds coming out quietly.

"Well," a teasing voice purred. "I guess he's 'fallen' for you, Vangie."

The two blushing cats simultaneously snapped their heads to the left. A tall calico Queen stood, one paw over her mouth, not completely covering the giggle that bubbled out. Evangeline returned her gaze to Coricopat.

"G-get off of me, Jellicle," she sputtered, kneeing him viciously in the stomach.

Coricopat fell to the side clutching his stomach. Evangeline scrambled up, running over to the calico Queen. From where he was, Coricopat heard her.

"Verena, I swear to EC," she hissed violently. "If you tell anyone about this, especially Mac…"

"I know, I know," Verena said almost boredly. "You'll kill me, cut off my tail, yadda, yadda, yadda…don't worry Vange, I know it was his fault. Damn Jellicle…"

A sudden loud screech rang through the air. Coricopat turned to look at the two Queens. The color had drained from Verena's calico face.

"Th-that sounded like Cyprus…"

"Intruders! Intruders!"

Bryn came dashing into the clearing, his eyes wide. His breathing was ragged.

"It's the Jellicles, he huffed, taking in large gulps of air. "They-"

Before he could finish, Mungojerrie and Alonzo came crashing through the trees, followed by Tantomile, Plato, and…Rumpleteazer? She wasn't a strong enough fighter! He dashed towards the calico Queen as more of Macavity's cats and more Jellicles flooded the clearing. He reached her, grabbing Rumpleteazer and pulling her behind a large tree. The calico Queen had her eyes squeezed shut, hissing and blindly scratching at Coricopat. He shook her shoulders gently.

"'Teaze! 'Teaze open your eyes!"

Suddenly, her hazel eyes shot open.

"Cori!"

Rumpleteazer threw her arms around his neck, clinging to him for dear life. She buried her head in the crook of his neck. Coricopat wrapped his arms around the petite Queen, drawing her so close that his dark fur seemed to melt into her stripes.

"Dea' EC Cori!" she murmured happily. "Oi thought we'd neva foind ya!"

She began looking him over, gently brushing her fingertips over his bandages, her eyes filling with worry.

"Wot in EC's name did they do ta ya?"

Coricopat took her paws in his, drawing them away from the injuries. He kissed them lightly, keeping his eyes locked with hers.

"It's nothing 'Teaze. Don't worry about me. But you shouldn't have come here…they're all such strong fighters…"

"Bu' Cori, Oi needed ta find ya! Jerrie promised that thoiy'd bring ya 'ome sayfely, bu' Oi wanted ta make sure maself."

She lowered her eyes, her cheeks beginning to flush pink.

"O-Oi care 'bout ya Cori…Oi realleh do…"

Coricopat gave the calico striped Queen a small smile.

"'Teaze I-"

Before he finished, a cat leapt from behind him, tackling Rumpleteazer to the ground, clawing at her. Coricopat recognized the tuxedo Queen from the crowd before. He growled, yanking the Queen off of Rumpleteazer. She hissed, clawing him across the face, causing a fierce burn to spread through the dark calico Tom's face. Coricopat clutched his bleeding cheek with one paw. He looked back at the tuxedo Queen, only to see Rumpleteazer leap on her back, sinking her teeth into one black shoulder. The tuxedo screeched in pain, flinging the calico Queen off her back, and into a tree. Coricopat watched in horror as Rumpleteazer slid down the tree, motionless. A new fire came into his green eyes and he threw himself at the tuxedo Queen. He began using the moves he had used in training, clawing and kicking. He tripped her, pinning her to the ground with one foot once she was down. He leaned down closer to her face.

"I swear, if she's-"

"C-Cori?"

The dark calico's head snapped up. Rumpleteazer was shakily sitting up, watching him with wide eyes. He kicked the tuxedo's head, knocking her out cold, rushing over to the calico Queen. He wrapped his arms around her, pulling her close.

"EC 'Teaze, don't scare me like that!"

"Oi'm sorreh Cori," she murmured. "It's jus' a little bump on ma 'ead. Oi'm foine."

"Retreat!"

Coricopat's heart stopped when he heard Alonzo's cry. He felt Rumpleteazer tense, and he pulled away from her, holding the petite Queen at arms length.

"'Teaze, go."

Rumpleteazer shook her head furiously, hazel eyes hard as stone.

"No, no Cori Oi won't! Oi'm no' jus' gonna leave ya 'ere!"

Coricopat leaned forward, pressing his lips to one calico cheek. He pulled away, pushing Rupleteazer a few feet away.

"Please 'Teaze, I'll be fine. Just go. For me."

Rumpleteazer just kept shaking her head, her cheeks flushing deeply once more from his light kiss. She opened her mouth to protest, but before she could, Mungojerrie ran past, grabbing her around the waist and carrying her out of sight. The dark calico Tom winced when he heard her despairing cry.

"No NO! Cori no! CORI!"

He watched miserably as every single Jellicle disappeared through the trees. His last hope: gone. Just like that. Suddenly, something heavy and hard hit the back of his head with a crack. The searing pain was the last thing he felt before he fell like a tree, hitting the ground unconscious.


	7. Chapter 7

**A.N. Alright, literally, 10 minutes after I posted Chapter 6, V137 reviewed…THANK YOU! That means so much to me! **

**So guys, this is Chapter 7. I said I wanted at least 50 reviews by this chapter, but I guess that did not happen. 50 by Chapter 10? Please? Pretty please with Tugger on top?**

**Also, one of my reviewers pointed out a few good things. I do want to clear up the CoriXTeazer thing and the location.**

**CoriXTeazer – So I did try to infer that Cori liked Teazer, both with Tantomile's message and with the statement "And…..maybe he was thinking about Rumpleteazer….." but I apologize if that was not clear. I didn't want to infer too heavily because I did want it to be a bit of a surprise.**

**The location – Alright so here's my image: Macavity's hideout is way out in the middle of nowhere in a forest. About 145/150 yards away from the hideout is this clearing where a lot of the story takes place. Then if you continue through the forest for a couple of miles, you come to the Junkyard.**

**I hope that helps to clear up those points!**

**Enjoy! R&R! And I'm sorry if the second half of this chapter is depressing and somewhat sad…**

"Don't ever pull that again, Jellicle."

Coricopat groaned, slowly opening his eyes. He, for once, was not in his cell. He was in some sort of little den on a cot. The room had a warm, cozy feel to it. Possibly because it was crowded with injured cats…He looked around, knowing the cat that had spoken to him was Evangeline. Sure enough, the tall Queen was sitting on a neighboring cot, sewing up a large, painful looking gash on her thigh. She glared viciously at the dark calico. Coricopat hoped that at least half of the anger in that glare was from pain. Otherwise, his next training session would be hell. Well, more hell than usual. Evangeline broke the thread using her teeth. She then moved on to a slice quite near her throat. It amazed Coricopat how she kept a straight face while sliding the needle in and out of her skin.

"Turn around! Let me see your face!"

Coricopat turned abruptly to face a slightly stressed looking Pippa. He could still see the hint of wariness in her eyes. He didn't blame her. He had acted like a mental patient the last time they had met. Noticing the various jars and supplies in her paws, he offered a small smile. Maybe this would make up for his prior insanity…

"My sister and I are assistant medics in our Tribe. Do you need some help?"

Wait, had he just offered to _help_ Macavity's cats? What had possessed him to do that? He was too much of a gentleman to take back his offer now, but in the back of his head, his brain was still screaming and reprimanding him. Pippa looked confused and taken-aback, but she handed him four jars and a few rolls of bandages.

"I trust you know how to use these?"

Coricopat lifted the lids of the jars in turn, sniffing the contents. He gave a curt nod. Pippa turned and began doctoring the harlequin Tom next to her. Coricopat looked around for cats in need of assistance. He noticed a small brown tabby Queenkit huddled on one cot, white paws shaking, looking around nervously. He made his way over to her, kneeling on the floor beside her cot. The kit shied away from him, her bright blue eyes widening in fear. Coricopat smiled gently.

"It's alright. I'm a medic. My name's Coricopat. What's your name?"

The little tabby relaxed a bit, allowing Coricopat to take her arm.

"I-I'm Dot," she whispered.

Coricopat gave her another smile as he dabbed a thick yellow paste on the claw marks that littered her arms.

"Well, Dot is a very pretty name. And how old are you Dot?"

"F-Four months…"

Coricopat bit back a snarl. Macavity was training four month old kittens and making them fight! That was just too much! She was barely more than a baby…He forced the smile to stay on his face.

"Wow, so you're almost an adult!"

Dot giggled shyly.

"Uh huh. I'm a real good fighter too. Miss Evangeline says that I learn quicker-er then any of the other kits. Even Cronous! He's the oldest kit. A whole two months older then me!"

The oldest kit was six months? What did Macavity think he could accomplish, training these kits? Either they would turn out to be lethal killers or die before they reached their teenage years. Either way, he would ruin these kits' lives.

"I bet you're a fantastic fighter. There you go Dot, all better."

The tabby looked in awe at her arm, which was now bound tightly and neatly with white bandages. She gave Coricopat a shy smile.

"Thank you Coric-C-Corio-"

Coricopat chuckled.

"You can call me Cori."

Dot giggled.

"Okay. Thank you Cori."

The dark calico Tom smiled as she jumped off the cot and scurried away. He noticed the tuxedo Queen from the battle glaring at him, a frightening ferocity in her yellow eyes. He quickly looked away, moving on to the next cat. A pure black Queen faced the other direction on her cot. He tapped her shoulder, only to have her whirl around, raking her claws through the air quite near his face. Coricopat leaned backwards, avoiding the blow. He held up the jar in his paw.

"I-I'm a medic."

He noticed that the Queen wasn't completely black. One white stripe ran through her headfur, a stark contrast with the rest of her pitch black fur. There was something not right about her blue eyes. They were both vacant and overly focused, giving them a strange and unnerving glow. She tilted her head to one side, a slightly crazed look coming over her.

"A Jellicle as my medic? That is not right!"

She began giggling maniacally. Coricopat swallowed nervously, backing away a few steps from the Queen. He backed right into another Queenkit. The short golden-brown tabby whirled around and, seeing Coricopat's predicament, she held out her paw for the jar. Her rich gold eyes shone with wisdom many years her senior.

"I know how to work with her."

Coricopat gladly handed over the jar, hurrying away. He looked over his shoulder as he went, watching the small Queenkit treat the deranged black Queen with no signs of fear. He turned around too late, for he ran straight into Evangeline. She grabbed him by the scruff of his neck, dragging him out the door.

"You are coming with me. I have a training session and you don't have any guards at the moment. No way are you escaping…"

Coricopat hissed quietly, but allowed himself to be dragged along. He closed his eyes, just wishing he was somewhere else…

_Cori! Cori! Cori please say you're there!_

The voice of Tantomile in his head sounded distressed, almost as if Tantomile was, or had been crying.

**Tanto, I'm here. Something's wrong…what happened? Is everyone alright?**

_C-Cori, Plato's dead._

Coricopat's heart stopped. He dug his heel into the ground, causing Evangeline to halt. She gave him a strange look.

"What's the hold up, Jellicle?"

Coricopat glared at her.

"Quiet," he snarled.

He closed his eyes again, focusing on his sister.

**Tanto, what are you talking about? Plato he…he can't be dead…**

_But he is Cori! I was fighting right next to him. I saw it…_

Tantomile's last statement ended in a despairing wail. Coricopat felt tears welling up in his eyes. Plato was one of his closest friends. His best friend. They had been like brothers since they were kits. Some of Coricopat's favorite memories were hunting with Plato and Tantomile. Plato had even confided in him that he had the biggest crush on Tantomile. He couldn't be dead. That quiet, calm, and friendly Tom could not be dead. He just couldn't…

**D-do you know who killed him?**

_It was a Queen, but Cori she was like a ghost! S-She was so quick and nimble and I didn't see it coming…she was black…with one white stripe in her headfur. She fought like a trained assassin…_

Coricopat whirled on Evangeline, throwing her paw from the scruff of his neck. He saw a worried glint pass through her green eyes.

"Who is that black Queen?" he snarled. "The mental one. Who is she?"

Evangeline glared at him.

"That's Bone. We call her Skitterbone. Why the hell are you asking me this?"

"Why? I'll tell you why! That psycho murdered my best friend! She murdered him!"

He fell unwillingly to his knees, the normally calm and collected Tom sobbing. He didn't care who saw him. Dead…Plato was dead…

An unexpected paw landed on his shoulder. He saw through his tears that Evangeline was kneeling next to him. Her normally rock hard green eyes seemed limpid, a few tears lingering in the outer corners of her eyes. Her paw made calming circular motions on his back.

"I'm sorry. Bone she…Macavity trained her as an assassin. She'll kill whoever he says with no regrets. There is something psychotic about her…we haven't figured it out yet but there is…"

Coricopat continued to cry, allowing the burning tears to slide down his cheeks.

"Please stand up. If anyone saw this…there'd be trouble on both ends…"

Coricopat looked miserably up at the Queen, silently begging her not to make him. To his awe, Evangeline quickly kissed the side of his face. Her lips were like ice to his burning skin and they sent a strange calming sensation through his body. He sniffed and stood, tears still falling from his green eyes.

**Tanto, how is Victoria dealing with this? Or Tumble and Pounce?**

_Victoria won't come out of her den. Sh-She hasn't stopped crying-wait-oh, oh dear EC no-C-Cori -oh dear EC no!_

**Tanto! What's wrong? Are you alright? What's happening?**

_Oh EC Cori, Jerrie just ran over to me…he's frantic a-and he's crying. Cori-dear EC-Cori,'Teazer's missing!_


End file.
